Papercuts, Olney, and Bruises
Ernie went to see Rodney Crowell with our beloved Steve Campbell last night. Of course, on one hand I WISH that Eva weren't sick and that Heather could have gone with her husband, but DAMN it was so good for Ernie and he said it was a fantastic show. Thank you with all my love to the Munbells.
I saw Ernie off and then I had some work I had to do so I sat at the computer for a while. Eventually I finished and asked Owen if he'd watch tv with me for a bit. We couldn't watch Cosmos with Leo as Ernie wasn't home. Owen's been watching Sherlock so we agreed to that. We sat and watched while Rascal rocketed around the room until collapsing in utter exhaustion(I believe Owen named the cat very aptly). The day had been very busy so after one episode I told Owen I was going to head upstairs. I gathered my ipad and something to drink, kissed him good night and went upstairs. I went into my dark bedroom and set things on the bedside table. I turned around to head into the bathroom and CRASH. I tangled my foot in the cord of my ipad charger and I went down and I went down HARD. On the way down I hit the edge of the iron footboard with the side of my throat. That threw me even more off balance and I hit on my knees before going flat on my chest.
The boys came thundering in, Owen galloping up our loud, creaky stairs and Leo racing from down the hall. I pushed myself up on my hands and laid there gasping and trying not to cry. To add insult to injury I got furious cramps in my legs as I lay there. Eventually I got up and sat on the side of the bed while the boys stared at me wide-eyed. Then I did that thing where you keep repeating yourself, "I don't know what happend. I tripped on the cord (point to cord). I feel so stupid. I don't know what happened. I tripped on the cord (point to cord). I feel so stupid." I could feel my knee swelling so I asked the boys to get me some ice. They shot downstairs together and filled a plastic bag with ice, wrapped it in paper towel, and brought it back to me wordlessly. I love them so. I hugged and kissed them and assured them I was o.k. and they should go back to what they were doing.
Then I laid in bed, trying to keep the ice balanced on one knee at a time. I was tired but had the adrenalin of the fall racing through me. The side of my throat hurt where I had hit it on the footboard of the bed and I couldn't help but think what could have happened if I'd been just an inch or two to the right and had hit that full on. Suffice to say I'll be more careful with cords and the like in the future.
I felt tired and teary. I've been feeling some papercuts of life lately. You know, the kind of thing where people are just a bit thoughtless, and sometimes you wonder if perhaps you've been thoughtless to cause it, and either way it just stings a bit like a papercut does. Eventually I shook it off. I set my ipad in its appointed night time resting place, tucked the charger cord under it, and put on the new David Olney album.
Ahhhhh.
Thanks David.
It is, as David himself, beautiful and caustic, heartbreaking and funny, subtle and in your face, brilliant and obscure. It is the kind of music that goes right into your heart. It was just what I needed.
Oh, and if you're wondering....yes, I am stiff and sore today. And just to add to the fun I can't take any aspirin or ibuprofen because I have a colonoscopy next week. Oh, the joys and dignity of aging! In fact I'm sore enough that I'm wearing the white blouse with the little holes in it from when the smoke bomb went off in the kitchen....just because the thought of going upstairs to get a different one is too daunting....